Incest isn’t just a “nasty little secret” or a “family issue.” It is an abuse of power and a violation of trust. Even when the sex is ostensibly consensual, it is r*pe. Perhaps the most unnerving thing about incest is how often it happens and how many silent victims there are. Statistics are meaningless with this kind of molestation – shame keeps a majority of those affected quiet, so there’s no way to get an accurate count. Yet experts agree that it is a prevalent cancer that infects families of every racial and social background. Gather a hundred random people together, and there are virtually guaranteed to be victims (and perhaps abusers as well) in their midst. Seat those same hundred people in a theater showing The War Zone, and the visceral reactions of the victims will betray them. At a public screening of this movie during the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival, one viewer was so upset that, in the midst of a crucial scene, he rose to his feet and shouted that he couldn’t take any more, then headed for the exit, intending to pull the fire alarm. Roth, who was in attendance, intercepted him at the door, and it took 20 minutes of intense conversation to calm the man down.
Cast: Lara Belmont
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